Category Archives: Holidays

Any kind of cookie can be a Christmas cookie if you bake it during December, but the most Christmasy cookies are the kind that are cut out with cookie cutters and decorated by hand, whether with frosting or with sprinkles and candy. The Christmas cookie season is one time of year when the whole family can get involved in the kitchen, largely because even the ... Read More »

I know that the morning after Thanksgiving, the last thing I am interested in doing is settling down to work. I’m still thinking about – not to mention digesting – a huge dinner. I made up a meal based on the recipes I’ve posted in the past few weeks, including turkey, stuffing – not dressing – and mashed potatoes. The truth is that I’ve actually ... Read More »

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I’m taking the day off to do some cooking, just as I imagine that many of you are. If you need some last minute tips or recipes, check out this post for a full listing of Thanksgiving mains, sides and desserts. Speaking of desserts, the turkey pictured above is a Chocolate Maple-Glazed Turkey Cake that I made last year. This cake is ... Read More »

Every year at Thanksgiving, the seemingly age-old debate arises as to what exactly constitutes stuffing and what constitutes dressing. Both “stuffing” and “dressing” are terms applied to the traditional Thanksgiving side dish of a most, seasoned bread (or other starch, like rice of potatoes) and vegetable mixture. It is either cooked inside the turkey or alongside the bird, and your preferred term for the dish ... Read More »

I like to have mashed potatoes with Thanksgiving dinner because they go so well with turkey gravy – and when you have good gravy it’s a shame not to use up as much of it as possible. Sometimes, as an alternative, I like to make sweet potatoes instead. Not only do they add a totally different flavor to the meal, but they add a ton ... Read More »

In addition to chocolate pumpkin pie, there is one other variation on traditional pie that turn to when I want something a little different than the traditional plain pie: crumble-topped pumpkin pie. I start with the same basic custard filling that I use for a regular pumpkin pie and make a little bit of a streusel mixture to sprinkle on top before baking. Pecans are ... Read More »

I’ve noticed, over the past few years, that recipes for cranberry sauce are calling for less and less sugar. Maybe it’s just the type of cranberry sauce that I’ve had, but cranberries have such a great natural tartness to them that I’ve never tasted a cranberry sauce that was too sweet. I far prefer cranberry sauces that are a little on the sweeter side because ... Read More »

Stuffing – also known as dressing, depending on what part of the country you’re from and what your family traditions are – is a traditional Thanksgiving side dish made with bread and seasoned with spices and vegetables, either baked inside the turkey or cooked on the side. I am a firm believer that stuffing should have both a simple ingredient list and a crispy top ... Read More »